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Credit: Grizzlee Martin\/courtesy Creative City Project<\/p>\nCredit: Grizzlee Martin\/courtesy Creative City Project<\/p>\n
Dive in headfirst as Creative City Project\u2019s downtown arts takeover Immerse kicks off a vibrant spring of performing arts in Orlando.<\/p>\n
The free festival takes over downtown all weekend, uniting artists and performers in a celebration of the City Beautiful\u2019s creative culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This year, Immerse features performances and installations from Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil\u2019s Drawn to Life, Architects of Air, Orlando Vocal Collective (taking on the works of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston) and hundreds of local visual artists and performers taking to the streets. (And, yes, that does include experimental sounds from a La-Z Boy ensemble led by one Patrick Greene.)<\/p>\n
All told, Immerse spans over 10 city blocks in downtown Orlando this weekend, from City Hall up to Central Boulevard. All of the entertainment on offer is completely free, as always \u2014 though VIP ticket upgrades are available.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a fun experience seeing these artists come together to push themselves to create on such a large and compelling scale. And they rise to the occasion. I can\u2019t wait for our community to come together for another amazing Immerse,\u201d Creative City Project executive director Cole NeSmith tells Orlando Weekly.<\/p>\n
The singular Blue Man Group will be one of the headliners at Immerse, bringing their bold, bald and blue energy to the streets of downtown Orlando.<\/p>\n
Appearing at Immerse for a third time, Blue Man Group strives to keep their set fresh and remain true to the oddball rhythmic artistry for which the group is known.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Captain of Blue Man Group Orlando Bhurin Sead \u2014 for this is a very in-demand franchise \u2014 tells Orlando Weekly that this year\u2019s Immerse main stage event is bigger and perhaps even better than previous years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAudiences can expect something that\u2019s high-energy and really interactive,\u201d Sead says. \u201cExpect the Blue Men to be out and about on the street as well. The Blue Men will be around to keep up the connection with the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
They\u2019re always up for a healthy dose of audience interaction, but this year\u2019s Blue Man Group performance involves the audience on a whole new level. Sead says, \u201cWe\u2019re excited about finding ways to get the audience to be a part of our performance.\u201d He explains that the audience will play an integral role in advancing their show\u2019s storyline.<\/p>\n
Since their inception in 1987 with New York City street spectacles, the Blue Man Group has captivated audiences with paint-splattered performances of rhythmic innovation. Sead emphasizes that Immerse draws on the group\u2019s origins by engaging with the local culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original three founders of Blue Man Group were just experimenting on the streets,\u201d Sead says. \u201c[Immerse] is definitely a callback to those times for the Men to be out and experiencing the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the 39 years since those embryonic street performances, Sead explains that character and connection remain the group\u2019s heart. Sead says, \u201cWhatever we do as Blue Man Group, it is about connection,\u201d emphasizing that the group, at its core, centers the audience. \u201cWe often talk at our shows that we\u2019re building these small communities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The outdoor setting of Immerse provides a uniquely interactive experience for both audience members and Blue Man Group performers. \u201cWith our shows, a lot of it\u2019s contained,\u201d Sead says, \u201cso when we bring anything from the show to an outside festival, especially Immerse, it offers [our characters] a lot to take in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Immerse creates a heightened potential for spontaneity for Sead. The precise, rehearsed set is also very malleable in response to audience reaction and proximity. \u201cThe way we interact with the audience is different at an outdoor festival,\u201d Sead says. \u201cIt feels more open and free, and especially when we\u2019re out with the audience, we really don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The outdoor staging of Immerse creates a lively environment where audiences are engaged, and the performers can feel the energy radiating from the crowd. \u201cWe know that at immerse, the audiences are incredibly open and incredibly welcoming,\u201d Sead says. \u201cThey are up to participate, and so that really informs us of how we want to perform or present ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sead, still somewhat new to the Orlando area, thinks back to how he was struck by the city\u2019s vibrant arts and culture scene when performing at his first Immerse festival.<\/p>\n
\u201cImmerse was one of my first encounters with the Orlando audience,\u201d Sead says. \u201cI remember being on stage and looking out at people and just watching everyone look back. They were so welcoming. They had this incredible, generous energy. They were open, walking around and experiencing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just \u201cwalking around and experiencing\u201d is, in the end, the best advice for getting the most out of Immerse. Even the experts leave themselves open to happy arts accidents.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year at Immerse, I was standing at one of the stages waiting for Blue Man Group to perform. This group goes on just before them \u2014 an incredible mix of live music, dance, acrobatics, effects. The audience was all dancing together and having the best time. It was a group called MESH. I knew they would be the perfect artists to collaborate with on something larger in 2026,\u201d remembers NeSmith. \u201cSo they are bringing together all those elements again this year, plus massive visuals, four aerialists performing from a crane all at the same time and even BMX bike riders.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, though, Immerse is not just a one \u2014 or even three \u2014 man show; there are truly new experiences around every corner of the festival for both audience and performer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[Immerse] brings a heightened sense of anticipation, a sense of awareness and excitement for us as performers,\u201d Sead says. \u201cSo hopefully that translates to the audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
IMMERSE: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 20-22, various locations throughout downtown Orlando, immersefest.com<\/a>, free<\/p>\n Orlando\u2019s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.<\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tThree whole days of Pandamania!\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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